3 ms·
> When I need to write an email, I often bullet-point what I want to write and ask the LLM to write out a coherent, cordial email. I’ve gotten worse at writing
by Swizec 1y ago
> When I need to write an email, I often bullet-point what I want to write and ask the LLM to write out a coherent, cordial email. I’ve gotten worse at writing emails
Just send the bullet points! Nobody wants the prose. It’s a business email not an art. This is a hill I will die on.
Prose has its uses when you want to transmit vibes/feelings/... For actionable info communication between busy people, terse and to the point is better and more polite.
It’s bad enough when I have to read people waffling. Please don’t make me read LLM waffle.
- TacticalCoder 1y ago[dead]
- sshine 1y ago> Just send the bullet points! Nobody wants the prose. […] It’s bad enough when I have to read people waffling. Please don’t make me read LLM waffle. I use LLMs to shorten my emails.
- seadan83 1y agoI think this is the author's point. The ability to write short and concisely is a skill. So goes the saying: "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." Using LLMs to do that shortening is potentially hindering that practice. The author's point I think is less about sending LLM waffle, it's a lot more that they can't send something that is indistinguishable from LLM waffle anyways due to skills issue - because the LLM is so often used instead of building that skill. I think the question is largely, can the LLM results be used for human learning and human training, or is it purely a shortcut for skills - in which case those skills never form or atrophy.
- sshine 1y ago> the question is largely, can the LLM results be used for human learning and human training, or is it purely a shortcut for skills I agree. And I think everyone who uses them does a combination. The biggest danger lies with new learners who mistake immediate completion of a training task with having learned something. I will drive a stick-shift once a year, and automatic every other day. Surely my skill will atrophy, but the convenience is worth it.
- neom 1y agoI think it's a fair hill to die on, I'll join you. I go so far as to say if I take a very direct tone with you after a formality and you keep up the formalities, it's a bit of a red flag. Gimmie the words with what you want only, please.
- rahimnathwani 1y agoThe exception is when you're sending emails to people who don't have the same background knowledge or assumptions as you do. Imagine: Write a coherent but succinct email to Ms Griffin, principal of the school where my 8yo son goes, explaining; - Quizlet good for short term recollection - no point memorising stuff if going to forget later - better to start using anki, and only memorize stuff where worth remembering forever
- belorn 1y agoThat seems like an effective way to get Ms Griffin annoyed. Given the prevalence of cheating in education they are might be much more likely to identify that an LLM was used to generate the text, after which they label the email as spam and the parent as someone would would send them such spam.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- KevinMS 1y ago> Just send the bullet points! Nobody wants the prose. But the recipient can just ask AI to convert the prose into bullet points.
- roxolotl 1y agoThat’s what I can do with my new found time now that LLMs write my emails for me, use LLMs to converts others emails into bullet points!
- AlecSchueler 1y agoBonus global warming for everyone!
- MisterTea 1y agoA long time ago I would write these stupid long, wordy, emails to my manager summing up my work week. He finally told me, "please, keep it short and sweet. I don't need to know every wire or line of code you touched. Just summarize it into a few sentences." Best conversation ever. Went from 2 hours of typing Friday afternoon to 10 minutes or so. I'm stumped as to why we went backwards.
- lucyjojo 1y agothis heavily depends on your interlocutor.